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Meet Barnard, the First Heart Transplant Surgeon
Meet Barnard, the First Heart Transplant Surgeon“Heartbreak is not a big thing in surgery. The more important fact is I am willing to risk. My philosophy is the greatest risk in life is not risk-taking. “- Christiaan Barnard
On December 3, 1967, in the Groote Schuur Hospital’s operating room in Cape Town, South Africa, Christiaan Barnard conducted the world’s first heart transplant surgery when transferring the heart of Denise Darvall, 25, who was killed by a road accident to Louis Washkansky, 55.
Personal Life
Christiaan Neethling Barnard was born on November 8, 1922 in a village in Beaufort West in South Africa and was raised poorly with four other siblings.
However, one of his siblings died of a heart problem when he was 5 years old.
After graduating from Beaufort West High School in 1940, he studied at the University of Cape Town Medical School, where he obtained his Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB) in 1953.
With the hope of pursuing research interests and acquiring new skills and experience, he enrolled at the University of Minnesota Medical School in 1955.
After two years of study, he was awarded a doctorate and returned to his home country to begin his career as a heart surgeon.
Early Career
In 1956, he received a two-year scholarship for post-graduate training in Cardiothoracic (heart) surgery at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA under Walt Lillehei’s heart specialist.
In 1958, he received a Master of Science in Surgery and was awarded a Doctor of Philosophy in the same year. Barnard described the two year spent in the US as the most exciting one in his life.
Upon his return to South Africa in 1958, he was appointed as cardiothoracic surgeon at Groote Schuur Hospital, and created the first heart unit in the hospital.
Over the next few years, he has been promoted and renowned as the best surgeon who has contributed significantly to heart disease treatment.
The world’s first heart transplant
After more than 10 years of carrying out heart surgery, Barnard is prepared to accept a greater challenge – human heart transplantation.
A Louis Washkansky patient suffering from heart problems agrees to undergo heart transplant surgery after finding the appropriate donor.
The world’s first heart transplant surgery was performed on December 3, 1967 in an operation assisted by his sister Marius Barnard.
The surgery took nine hours with a team of 30 specialist doctors and medical assistants.
The success of the surgery was celebrated throughout the world, and he gained media attention and became famous at the time.
From 1967 to 1973, he had done 10 orthotopic transplants and Barnard was also the first person to perform heterotopic heart transplantation. A total of 49 heterotopic heart transplants were performed in Cape Town between 1975 and 1984.
Barnard’s retirement and death retired as Head of Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery in Cape Town in 1983 after suffering from rheumatoid arthritis (chronic inflammatory disorders that affected many joints) in the hands, which eventually ended his career.
Christiaan Barnard died on September 2, 2001, during a holiday in Paphos, Cyprus.
Early reports showed he died of a heart attack, but a post-mortem claim his death was due to severe asthma attacks.
Among the Barnard writings :
- The Donor
- Your Healthy Heart
- The Best Medicine
- 50 Ways to a Healthy Heart
- Body Machine
Life On The Hand of The Meticulous Surgeon Colouring Page
Picolour.com provides a link to download The Meticulous Surgeon Colouring Page. To download please follow the steps provided.
1. Right click on the images above.
2. Choose “saved image”.
3. Or, you can click the image url HERE to get the fullsize image.
4. After that, download as steps 1 and 2.
Ok moms, that all from us. If you looking for more occupations colouring pages, please do not hesitate to download “List of 44 Occupations Colouring Pages Printable for Kids“. Yeah, it might help you a lot!
